The Naughty Librarian

The Paris Review recently published a naughty little article on librarians. Specifically librarians in pornography. Here's an interesting fact from the piece: it was actually a librarian who coined the term pornography. Aren't librarians swell?

Image borrowed from Paris Review.

Do you have a librarian fantasy?

Anatomy of a Librarian

A really interesting Daily Infographic article on librarian demographics. Found via Kimberly Silk, the digital media librarian extraordinaire.

(Although I am curious as to why the doughnut graphs do not add up to 100. Yikes!)

Being a New Information Professional

My colleague, the Socialite Librarian, recently wrote a post on her blog on why employers should take a chance on a young hire. In her very positive piece she makes strong points on how a corporation can stay young by hiring young!

While the tone was inspiring, the post reminded me of the unfair stereotypes that are applied to the young, for simply being young.

Over the years numerous graduate students and new information professionals have spoken to me about their struggles trying to break into the market, without experience.

Trust me. I’ve been there.

Not only have I been the newbie trying to break into the market, when I did break in, I became the rookie trying to prove herself.

One event of reverse age discrimination came early in my career. A client walks into my library, obviously anxious about something. I ask if I can help him, but he says “no, not an intern, no thank you”. While I try to tell him I’m a real librarian, he finds the administrative assistant (older than me) and asks her if she can help him. She tells him the librarian can help him, re-directing him to me. He looks at me again and shakes his head. Rather than have me help him, he opts to pace and sigh while he waits for another librarian. Finally one of my established colleagues comes in. I eavesdrop on this (not-for-the-ears-of-the-young) reference question, where he relays his quite simple request. I get up and retrieve the item off the shelf he is looking for, and hand it to him.

Sadly, my struggles of not being taken seriously are far from over. Since I’m petite and still have dimples (not implanted dimples either…they’re real and they’re fabulous) people still assume I’m much younger than I am. Hence, assume that I have no idea what I’m talking about. 

Not everyone realizes the potential, determination, and fresh ideas possessed by young professionals. During these encounters, we need to just grin and bear it. (On the bright side, this could give us more frown lines, hence making us appear experienced.)

My (not-so-seasoned) advice to new librarians:

Stay positive: So much is about attitude. It will keep you going when times get tough. It will also make others want to be around you and perhaps want to hire you. I’ve also regretted the times when I let that chip on my shoulder show. If I just stayed positive, I would have been able to focus on showing people that I’m capable.

Get experience: Before I even entered the work force I worked INSAINELY hard. My university days – and nights – were filled with not just classes and research, but volunteering, joining associations, student council, and part-time jobs.

Don’t take my last piece of advice to the extreme: While my work did pay off, sometimes I feel as though I missed out on actually being young. I wonder if life would have been a little more enjoyable by, I don’t know, attending a party?

Speak up: Keep talking and keep your ideas flowing. Someone will notice your ideas.

Be tenacious: Keep speaking up. Don’t assume that if nobody notices that you have ideas within the first few days that they never will. Somebody will be smart enough to notice.

Remember it will be okay: Because it will be okay. 

Photo by Marisa

A Happy Friday: Men of the Stacks

I love it when people defy librarian stereotypes. This 2012 calendar Men of the Stacks does just that. In a profession that is female dominated, the project features twelve (cough) dashing gentlemen librarians. The proceeds from the calendar go to Dan Savage's heroic It Gets Better project.

Fall Trend Spotting: Librarian Chic

I have been so thrilled about the fall fashion trends this season. Librarian chic is everywhere. The stunning cardigans and wool a-line skirts are stunning throw backs to the stacks of yesteryear. Just check out some of J. Crew’s line up, as an example, and how they compare to the cast of Desk Set (1957).



In honour of “Throwback Thursdays”- a tradition in my library where we dress up to the nines every, naturally, Thursday - I have to do a plug for my favorite throw back movie. If you haven’t seen the classic Desk Set yet, I highly recommend it! A group of amazing reference librarians proves just how irreplaceable they are. (You can borrow it through your public library, but it’s also available to rent for a very cheap price on iTunes.)

For the Love of Libraries

A recent post of mine, about the importance of libraries and librarians, was picked up by a few notable professionals. Thank you to the Desert Librarian and to Stephen's Lighthouse.